1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector structure and, more particularly, to a connector structure capable of assembling a flat flexible cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit (FPC) from two directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flat flexible cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit (FPC) is widely applied to different electronic components on a present printed circuit board (PCB) for transmitting signals between the electronic components. For example, the flat flexible cable or the flexible printed circuit may be used between a display device and a processor of a mobile phone, between a controller and a printing nozzle of an ink-jet printer, and between different components on a circuit board. Therefore, the two connection wires are made of flexible materials, thereby increasing a plurality of elasticity for packaging manufacture of a circuit. Different from fixed direct solder having lower cost or pluggable crimped contact having a complex structure, the flat flexible cable and the flexible printed circuit are pluggable, and also have simple structures, small volume, and low cost. The flat flexible cable and the flexible printed circuit are suitable for signal transmission of a printed circuit board.
On a printed circuit board, a connector capable of receiving and fastening a flat flexible cable or a flexible printed circuit is needed. Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG 1 is a schematic diagram showing an appearance of a connector structure according to the prior art. In FIG. 1, a connector 1 includes a base 10, a plurality of metal pins 12, and a cover 14. The base 10 includes a pair of pivotal bases 101 located at two sides of the base 10, respectively. The metal pins 12 are disposed at the base 10 and are located between the two pivotal bases 101. One terminal of the metal pin 12 is electrically connected to the flat flexible cable or the flexible printed circuit (not shown), and the other terminal is electrically connected to other components (not shown) on the printed circuit board. The cover 14 has a first side 141 and a second side 142. Two ends of the second cover 142 are pivotally connected to the two pivotal bases 101 of the base 10, respectively. A user can lift or press the first side 141 to rotate the cover 14 upward and downward relative to the base 10.
When a user is to connect the flat flexible cable or the flexible printed circuit to the connector 1, he or she can lift the first side 141 to rotate the cover 14 upward to expose the metal pins 12 on the base 10. Then, the flat flexible cable or the flexible printed circuit (not shown) is slid in parallel to the top of the metal pins 12 between the two pivotal bases 101 from the first side 141 of the connector 1. Next, the user can press the first side 141 to rotate the cover 14 downward to cover the pivotal bases 101 of the base 10. Thus, the flat flexible cable or the flexible printed circuit (not shown) is electrically connected with the metal pins 12 of the connector 1.
Since the connector 1 in the prior art is a unidirectional opening, only one side can be used for connection. Once the side cannot be used for connection due to a space design of the printed circuit board or wires need to be specially arranged, the other side has to be used for the connection. At that moment, the connector 1 needs to rotate 180 degrees, and metal wiring on the printed circuit board also needs to be modified according to the change of a direction of inserting the metal pins 12 of the connector 1. Since the circuit needs to be redesigned, additional cost is needed, and efficiency of the circuit research and design decreases.